Piano chords · Slow dance ’50s
How to play Maybe on piano
Written by Richard Barrett
- G major
- 12/8
- 81 BPM
- 1970
- Medium
Learn Maybe in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G – C – F#7 – Gsus4
Maybe sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; C is C, E and G; F#7 is F#, A#, C# and E; Gsus4 is G, C and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GICIVF#7VII7Gsus4Isus4- GG · B · D
- CC · E · G
- F#7F# · A# · C# · E
- Gsus4G · C · D
- 2
Left hand: Slow-dance heartbeat
Four slow, deep beats under a swaying fifties ballad. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 (12/8) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 134 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Doo-wop chords
Three soft chords on every slow beat: the classic 1950s ballad sound. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 81 BPM
Put the two hands together over the loop. Start at half speed with the player's speed control, and bring it up once every change is easy.
- 5
Ending: C – D – G
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDG- DD · F# · A
Play next
Questions about Maybe
What chords are in Maybe?
The loop is G – C – F#7 – Gsus4 (I – IV – VII7 – Isus) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.
What key is Maybe in?
G major, at about 81 beats a minute in 12/8.
What does the left hand play in Maybe?
Slow-dance heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 (12/8), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Maybe easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.